 Welcome to Behind the Fence Line, I'm your host Victoria Pena, and on this episode we'll cover science, technology, engineering, and math, and how it relates to Naval Base San Diego and the environment. You probably know what a basketball team is, a football team, a baseball team. The team I'm on is called an environmental team. Just like those sports teams, we all have different positions and perform different functions for Naval Base San Diego. So, come and take a walk with me and let's see what my teammates are up to today. Hi Tom, hi Kelly. Hi Victoria. Can you show what you're doing today in the middle of the pier? We're checking the storm drains for trash to make sure the trash isn't carried by rainwater into the bay. Oh, can I see through there? Yeah, come look. Get into the bay. We're also checking around trash bins to prevent trash from getting in the water. There's a lot happening on Navy pier and we want contractors and sailors to be aware. To check our areas for environmental compliance, we also create equipment on our trucks that allows us to show others how the Navy takes care of the environment. We can show you some of the equipment if you'd like to see it. Oh, I would love to see what you use. Well, besides a broom, we can use to sweep up small areas. We also have a special tool called a pier sweeper that we can use for larger areas. Would you like to see how it works? Yeah. Okay. Oh, that looks like a lawn mower. Navy based San Diego stormwater permit requires us to check the concentration of certain pollutants in the stormwater. Things such as oil and grease that may be getting down the drain will stick to plastic. So we use the special Teflon bag so that we get an accurate sample. Wow, that's a lot to learn about stormwater samples. Is there another way to collect stormwater samples? Yeah. Well, to collect the water that's under the storm drain beneath the pier, we use the Teflon line hose and a pump. What goes into the water affects all aquatic life, because everything that lives in the water. And it also affects all of us who use the water. So Navy, like a lot of people, spends a lot of time near the water here in San Diego. They're responsible for taking precautions to protect water quality. They're able to enjoy things like swimming, surfing, fishing and boating. Oh, thanks Tom and Kelly. I learned a lot today about how the Navy takes care of our water and how easy it is to take care of our community. Well, that's it for today's episode. I hope that's showing you a little bit about how the Navy works on their environmental responsibilities. You've seen how easy it is for you two to help our community. During all the trash in the proper bins, picking up trash, being aware of what goes down the storm dues in your school, where you live, can help make the water better for all. Well, tune in next time on Behind the Fence Live.